11/16/09: I priviousely posted a lengthy rant on my experience with the old Apple Macbook (
read here). It was $1,400 worth of cheap components and a horrible LCD screen. It went back to Apple!
We took another look at the new aluminum MacBook Pro, and all I can say is: "We're back and we're extremely happy! ...maybe even impressed :-)" The new MacBook Pro (I've now tried all the models: 13" - 17") are in my opinion the best portable computers you can buy. If they came with a ThinkPad nipple, they would be a dream come true - for me. The best part is that you can get a very nice 13" MB Pro for $1,299, so even less then what you'd pay for the old garbage.
The screen is very bright, LED based, and should stay bright for a long time. The 17" even has the serious color reproduction required for graphics and video work. Go buy one!